Creamfields

One of the two or three most prestigious dance festivals on the planet, Creamfields is always full to bursting with worldwide stars. Whatever flavour of electronic music you're into, you'll find more than you could ask for at Creamfields.

Primavera Sound

Indie King and forceful supporter of new music, Primavera Sound prides itself on pushing the alternative scene forward. Creativity is paramount, with headliners often standing out from the festival crowd.

Rock am Ring & Rock im Park

If rock and metal are your game, then Germany's Rock am Ring needs no introduction. Along with sister festival Rock im Park, it pulls unparalleled lineups year after year and can lay claim to being one of the best-attended weekends in the world.

Isle of Wight Festival

Isle of Wight Festival is renowned for exclusive, legendary headliners – Fleetwood Mac, The Stone Roses, Bruce Springsteen – and eclectic lineups that pay homage to its own incredible history. Now over 50 years on from the original edition, IOW is as strong as ever.

Ultra Europe

Transported across the Atlantic from Miami's glamourous city centre, Ultra Europe wasted no time in establishing itself as a worthy successor to the original UMF. The biggest DJs in the world bring Croatia's stunning Adriatic coast to its feet.

Defqon.1 Weekend Festival

Defqon.1 blazes the trail for hard dance music in a way that few other festivals do for any genre. The power of Q-dance keeps production and lineups at the very top of their game, and a sister edition in Sydney, Australia, has added an extra Defqon's reputation.

Sziget Festival

Sziget is one of those festivals that could never spend another cent on marketing and still sell out every single year. Its reputation precedes it by almost a decade, and Budapest makes an incredible host city.

EXIT Festival

Titans of dance are scattered with the occasional note of indie and pop – or even heavy metal, in the case of Motörhead in 2015 – at Serbia's EXIT Festival. Sister festival Sea Dance keeps the party going at the beautiful beach-side location of Budva, Montenegro.

Tomorrowland

Tomorrowland is, simply put, the biggest electronic music show on earth. Massive lineups cherry-picked from any artist they could want, allied to an intense attention to detail, create an unrivalled wonderland that keeps on mesmerising the world.

Mad Cool Festival

Only a few years old, Mad Cool is already one of Europe's most glittering, glaringly popular festivals. True, it doesn't have the history and reputation for breaking ground that its Barcelona rival Primavera Sound commands, but in Mad Cool, Spain finally has another festival that stands a chance of challenging the Primavera might.

Lovebox

Nestled in the heart of London, Lovebox champions creative programming and a positive sense of fun. Just like with Wireless Festival, it's no surprise that urban and electronic music has found such a good home in the UK capital.

Glastonbury

Glastonbury sets the bar when it comes to worldwide music festivals. It hosts the biggest names in music on its famous Pyramid Stage, but it's the other side of Glastonbury that really sets it apart.

From the immersive world of shenanigans that is Shangri-La, to the flame throwing Arcadia spider and the hidden, underground Piano Bar, every corner of Glastonbury is full of surprises just waiting to be discovered.

Reading & Leeds Festivals

Reading Festival rightly sits among the world's genuine rock elite. Along with Leeds Festival – its northern English little brother – Reading has diversified somewhat over the last decade, but still packs a heavy punch each August.

Boomtown

Incredible music laying down a soundtrack for an entirely purpose-built themed city and ongoing mythology – BoomTown Fair takes the idea of a unique festival to a whole new level. Leave your civilian clothing at home and buckle up for a wild ride.

When & where: 12-16 August 2020; Winchester, UK

Rolling Loud Portugal

Rolling Loud's Florida flagship festival has seen the hip-hop and rap brand become North America's biggest urban music festival of the past few years. It's debut edition in Portugal looks to cement the title of Europe's too.

Time Warp DE

A bastion of techno music's evolution for nearly three decades now, Time Warp DE is still the quintessential rave for any techno purist; ground-breaking audio-visual production, the scene's biggest names, and like-minded electronic music enthusiasts consistently keep Time Warp DE at techno's fore.

Rock en Seine

Festival lineup (2020): Rage Against The Machine, Run The Jewels, + many more TBA

Fast approaching it's twenty year lifespan, Rock en Seine has welcomed premier artists from the rock, indie, and alternative realm in what is now widely considered as France's most impressive rock music festival. Who are we to argue?

Rock in Rio Lisboa

Rock in Rio Lisboa shares both it's name and it's legacy with the legendary Brazilian festival, annually alternating between Rio and Lisbon. One thing is certain, however; the calibre of artists, including iconic names from rock, pop, and more, remains at the same extremely high standard, year in, year out.